Slumdog Millionaire
Rated: R
Runtime: 2 hours and 1 minute
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring:
Dev Patel - Jamal
Freida Pinto - Latika
Madhur Mittal - Salim
Anil Kapoor - Prem
Irrfan Khan - Police Inspector
How do you make a film where true love is destiny and not make is seem corny but heartfelt and poignant? Ask Danny Boyle, because he's done it with Slumdog Millionaire, a moving character portrait that's Boyle's best film to date and one of the best pictures of the year.
Millionaire uses an ingenious framing device and gives the film the best pacing of any film in recent memory. Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is being interrogated by a police officer (Irrfan Khan) in Mumbai for allegedly cheating on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The officer can't figure out how a slumdog like Jamal would be able to get all the way to the final question while doctors and lawyers flame out after only making it two or three rounds. We then start to discover that each question ties into Jamal's life story, specifically, his love for a girl he's known since childhood.
Jamal has a complicated life as he grows up impoverished with only his asshole of a brother Salim at his side. Their difficult relationship is only further complicated by the introduction of another street urchin, Latika. As we learn more andmore of Jamal's story, it becomes clear that Jamal has no real interest in winning the riches offered by the game show, but in winning Latika's heart.
I'm not exactly sure how he did it, but Boyle made Jamal's love for Latika seem beautiful and noble instead of creepy and stalker-ish and that's all the more amazing since the film is grounded in reality and not glossy romanticism. If you're wondering why Slumdog Millionaire has an "R-rating", it's because it because it graphically depicts the harsh poverty in Indian slums and if there's one thing the under-18 crowd shouldn't see without a parent or guardian, it's poor people.
What stops Slumdog from being crushed under the weight of a life story centered around true love set in abject poverty is Boyle's flawless direction. It's not that the film doesn't take itself seriously, but rather, it captures the vibrancy of life and we care about these characters yet never pity them. Watching Jamal and Salim steal food from a train's dining car set to the music of MIA's "Paper Planes" or seeing a flock of children race across the lushly colored streets of Mumbai as they're chased by angry military officers are just a couple of the highlights in this engrossing film.
And while I'm sure not all Bollywood movies are as good as Millionaire, the Bollywood influence on this film must be appreciated and this film may be the wake-up call that it may be time for us to respect their renowned industry with more than just ironic detachment. Boyle weaves it in so well so that when there's a dance number over the closing credits, instead of hitting a false note, it rings perfectly true with the vivacious melody set throughout the feature.
Slumdog Millionaire is challenging without being abrasive; it's moving without being saccharine; it's thoughtful without being airy. It's a magnificent balancing act that's perfectly paced, beautifully shot, and stunningly directed. It's a credit to Danny Boyle, to Bollywood, and to Fox Searchlight for finding yet another great film and attempting to bring it to the American mainstream. The American mainstream needs to pick it up or they'll miss out on what's easily one of the year's best movies.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
11.11.08